Pulling grip assembly

ABSTRACT

A pulling grip assembly and methods, systems, and apparatuses for constructing the pulling grip assembly are disclosed. The pulling grip assembly can include a pulling grip. The pulling grip can include an elongated body portion and a lug portion. The lug portion can include a blind hole for receiving an assembly including a hollow fastening member and a pulling cable retained within the hollow fastening member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/625,341, entitled “Pulling Grip Assembly,” filedJun. 16, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,038,323, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety and which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/351,686, entitled “Pulling GripAssembly,” filed Jun. 17, 2016, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Multiple conductor cabling consisting of multiple, independent wires orconductors are an integral part of many systems, including electricaland power systems. Such cabling may be installed by pulling theindependent conductors in parallel through pipe or conduit over longdistances. A pulling rope running through the conduit is attached toeach conductor, and the pulling rope is pulled through the conduit,drawing the multiple conductor cabling from spools or other deliverymechanisms and through the conduit. The amount of force required to pullseveral conductors through a lengthy conduit, potentially with manybends or turns, may be substantial, and if the force is applied to thecabling improperly, one or more conductors may be damaged during thepull. Such damage may hamper performance of the multiple conductorcabling or present safety issues. In addition, finding and repairing thedamaged portions of the conductors may be prohibitively expensive orphysically impossible, and may necessitate replacement of the entirecabling.

The conductors may be attached to the pulling rope through a pullinggrip assembly. The pulling grip assembly may include a pulling gripattached to each conductor and a pulling cable or lanyard that attacheseach pulling grip to the pulling rope. Typically, the pulling grip has afirst end and a second end and defines an interior cylindrical cavityinto which a conductor may be inserted, via the first end, for attachingthe pulling grip to the conductor. The second end of the pulling gripmay define an aperture that the pulling cable or lanyard can be passedthrough for attachment to the pulling grip. Based on this construction,any moisture or debris that the pulling grip encounters can gain accessto the interior cylindrical cavity of the pulling grip, via the apertureof the pulling grip, and ultimately the conductor on which the pullinggrip is attached, causing damage and capacitive alterations to theconductor.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a pulling grip assembly andmethods, systems, and apparatuses for constructing the pulling gripassembly. According to various embodiments of the concepts andtechnologies described herein, the pulling grip assembly can include apulling grip. The pulling grip can include an elongated body portion anda lug portion. The lug portion can comprise a blind hole for receivingan assembly. The pulling grip assembly can further include the assembly.The assembly can include a hollow fastening member and a pulling cableretained within the hollow fastening member.

The present disclosure is further directed to a method for constructinga pulling grip assembly. According to various embodiments, a pullingcable is retained within a hollow fastening member to form an assemblyof the pulling cable and the hollow fastening member. The assembly ofthe pulling cable and the hollow fastening member can be secured withina blind hole of a lug portion of a pulling grip.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to be used to limit the scopeof the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matteris not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantagesnoted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of pulling grip assemblies attached to aplurality of corresponding conductors, a clevis, and a pulling rope,according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a pulling grip assembly100, according to a first illustrative embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate an assembly of the hollow fastening member andthe pulling cable with a cross sectional view of the hollow fasteningmember and a front view of the pulling cable and the stop in FIG. 3A,and an assembly of the hollow fastening member and the pulling cablewith a cross sectional view of the hollow fastening member as well as across sectional view of the pulling cable and the stop in FIG. 3B, allaccording to the first illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4A illustrates a full view of the assembly of the hollow fasteningmember and the pulling cable, according to the first illustrativeembodiment, with a first type of drives.

FIG. 4B illustrates a cross section view of the assembly of the hollowfastening member and the pulling cable along line a-a of FIG. 4A,according to the first illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4C illustrates a full view of the assembly of the hollow fasteningmember and the pulling cable, according to the first illustrativeembodiment, with a second type of drives.

FIG. 4D illustrates a cross section view of the assembly of the hollowfastening member and the pulling cable along line a-a of FIG. 4C,according to the first illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4E illustrates a cross section view of the assembly of the hollowfastening member and the pulling cable, according to the firstillustrative embodiment, with a third type of drives.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a pulling grip assembly100, according to a second illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method forconstructing a pulling grip assembly, according to illustrativeembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to a pulling gripassembly and methods, systems, and apparatuses for constructing thepulling grip assembly. This description provides various components, oneor more of which may be included in particular implementations of thepulling grip assembly and the methods, systems, and apparatuses forconstructing the pulling grip assembly. In illustrating and describingthese various components, however, it is noted that implementations ofthe pulling grip assembly and the methods, systems, and apparatuses forconstructing the pulling grip assembly may include any combination ofthese components, including combinations other than those shown in thisdescription.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of pulling grip assemblies, denotedgenerally at 100, attached to a plurality of corresponding insulatedconductors 114A-114N, a clevis 110, and a pulling rope 116. Respectivepulling grips 102A-102N (collectively, pulling grips 102 or usedsingularly as pulling grip 102) of the pulling grip assemblies 100 areshown affixed to the corresponding insulated conductors 114A-114N(collectively, insulated conductors 114 or used singularly as insulatedconductor 114). In overview, the pulling grips 102 serve to attach theinsulated conductors 114 to respective pulling cables or lanyards104A-104N (collectively, pulling cables 104 or used singularly aspulling cable 104) of the pulling grip assemblies 100. The pullingcables 104 may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallicmaterial, and may be coated or impregnated with friction-reducingcompounds. Without limiting possible implementations, the pulling cables104 may also represent pulling ropes, pulling members, strength members,or the like.

The individual pulling cables 104 may include loops, referencedcollectively at 106, which may be formed by suitable crimps, swages, orother attachment means (denoted collectively at 108). In turn, anynumber of the pulling cables 104 may be connected to the clevis 110. Theclevis 110 may facilitate attachment of the pulling cables 104 to thepulling rope 116. The pulling rope 116 may include a loop 112facilitating attachment of the pulling rope 116 to the clevis 110. Theclevis 110 may be constructed of any suitable metallic or nonmetallicmaterials, chosen as appropriate for the loads anticipated to be borneby the clevis 110 during pulls of the completed pulling grip assemblythrough conduit. In addition, implementations of the clevis 110 may bedimensioned and shaped differently from the examples shown in FIG. 1 ,without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description.The clevis 110 may be characterized as a “swivel” or “swiveling” clevis.For example, during a given pull, the pulling cables 104 and/or thepulling rope 116 may twist axially, experiencing forces as the pullproceeds. However, in implementations where the clevis 110 is aswiveling clevis, the swiveling clevis may serve to isolate the pullingcables 104 and the pulling rope 116 from each other, allowing, forexample, the pulling cables 104 to twist axially relative to the pullingrope 116, without also exposing the pulling rope 116 to those sametwisting forces.

In different possible implementations, a given pulling cable 104 may beattached to one or two of the pulling grips 102. For example, thepulling cables 104B and 104N may be the same pulling cable, with one endattached to the pulling grip 102B and the other end attached to thepulling grip 102N. This may reduce the number of loops 106 passingthrough the clevis 110, by attaching two pulling grips 102 to a givenpulling cable 104. Finally, the clevis 110 may be attached to the loop112 formed by the pulling rope 116.

Turning now to FIG. 2 , the pulling grip assembly 100 will be describedin detail in accordance with a first illustrative embodiment. Accordingto embodiments, the pulling grip assembly 100 includes a pulling grip,such as the pulling grip 102, a hollow fastening member 220, and apulling cable, such as the pulling cable 104. The pulling grip 102 maygenerally include a somewhat elongated body portion 202, which definesan interior cavity 204 along at least part of the elongated body portion202. According to exemplary embodiments, the elongated body portion 202includes a first end 206 and a second end 208. A conductor 114, or thebare cable or wire of the conductor 114 that is exposed when a portionof insulation of the conductor 114 is stripped away, may be insertedinto the interior cavity 204, via the first end 206 of the elongatedbody portion 202, and the elongated body portion 202 may be crimped,swaged, or otherwise secured to the bare cable or wire. Crimps may beapplied to the elongated body portion 202 so that adjacent crimps havediffering rotational alignments relative to one another, which maypromote a more secure overall attachment between the pulling grip 102and the bare cable or wire of the conductor 114. Alternatively, thecrimps may be applied to the elongated body portion 202 so that adjacentcrimps have approximately the same rotational alignment relative to oneanother. In other implementation scenarios, the pulling grip 102 mayinclude a wedging mechanism, set screws, or other mechanical mechanismsoperative to secure the elongated body portion 202 to the exposed cableor wire of the conductor 114.

According to exemplary embodiments, the pulling grip 102 also includes alug portion 210 extending from the second end 208 of the elongated bodyportion 202. Both the elongated body portion 202 and the lug portion 210of the pulling grip 102 may be manufactured of a material such asaluminum or an alloy thereof. The pulling grip 102 may be manufacturedusing any suitable processes, including but not limited to, machiningfrom a single piece of stock aluminum or other material, as well asforging, casting, molding, or the like. The lug portion 210 and theelongated body portion 202 may be integral with one another forming aunitary structure by virtue of being machined from a single piece ofstock aluminum or other material. Alternatively, the lug portion 210 andthe elongated body portion 202 may be machined as separate pieces thatare attached to one another via an adhesive, welding, or othermechanical connection. According to embodiments, the lug portion 210 mayhave a female threaded portion (not shown) that engages a male threadedportion (not shown) of the elongated body portion 202, or vice versa, toallow the lug portion 210 to be removably attached to the elongated bodyportion 202 so that the lug portion 210 can be removed and reused onanother elongated body portion.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the lug portion 210 of the pulling grip 102may include a threaded blind hole 212 that extends a specified depththrough a portion of the lug portion 210 without breaking through to theinterior cavity 204 of the elongated body portion 202 of the pullinggrip 102 such that the threaded blind hole 212 remains sealed off fromthe interior cavity 204 of the elongated body portion 202 of the pullinggrip 102. The threaded blind hole 212 may be created in the lug portion210 using a progressive tap, such as a pipe tap, that cuts internalthreads that progressively get more shallow in depth as they proceeddown a hole as illustrated by the internal threads, denoted generally at214, of the threaded blind hole 212 in FIG. 2 , which progressively getmore shallow in depth as the internal threads 214 proceed from a firstend 216 of the threaded blind hole 212 to a second end 218 of thethreaded blind hole 212. In particular, the internal threads 214 cut atand near the first end 216 of the threaded blind hole 212 extend furtherinto the lug portion 210 than the internal threads 214 cut near thesecond end 218 of the threaded blind hole 212.

The progressively more shallow depth of the internal threads 214 of thethreaded blind hole 212 work to lock the hollow fastening member 220into the threaded blind hole 212. According to exemplary embodiments,the hollow fastening member 220 is a threaded insert defining an opening222, as illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 3A-3B, for receiving a pulling cable,such as the pulling cable 104, as discussed further below. The hollowfastening member 220 includes external threads 224 that mate with theinternal threads 214 of the threaded blind hole 212, when the hollowfastening member 220 is screwed into the threaded blind hole 212. As thehollow fastening member 220 is screwed further into the threaded blindhole 212, at least a portion of the external threads 224 of the hollowfastening member 220 contact the more shallow threads at the second end218 of the threaded blind hole 212, causing a wedging action thatcreates a self-engaging bind as the hollow fastening member 220encounters resistance and locks the hollow fastening member 220 withinthe threaded blind hole 212. Alternatively, the hollow fastening member220 may include an adhesive on the external threads 224 which locks thehollow fastening member 220 within the threaded blind hole 212 as thehollow fastening member 220 is screwed into the threaded blind hole 212.The surface of the opening 222 of the hollow fastening member 220 may besmooth as illustrated in FIG. 2 , may include internal threads, or mayinclude a combination of both. As used herein, the term “lock” meansfixed in position such that removal or attempts at removal would damageand/or destroy surrounding members. For instance, when the hollowfastening member 220 is screwed into the threaded blind hole 212, thehollow fastening member 220 is locked within the threaded blind hole 212such that removal or attempts at removal of the hollow fastening member220 from the threaded blind hole 212 would damage and/or destroy the lugportion 210. According to other embodiments, the hollow fastening member220 may be screwed into the threaded blind hole 212 in a manner thatallows the hollow fastening member 220 to be removed without damaging ordestroying the lug portion 210.

Prior to screwing the hollow fastening member 220 into the threadedblind hole 212 of the lug portion 210 of the pulling grip 102, a pullingcable, such as the pulling cable 104, and the hollow fastening member220 are assembled together. According to embodiments, the pulling cable104 is first passed through the opening 222 of the hollow fasteningmember 220. The end of the pulling cable 104 passed through the opening222 is then inserted into an opening of a stop 228, which is thencrimped or otherwise secured to the end of the pulling cable 104inserted through the opening of the stop 228, as further illustrated inFIGS. 3A and 3B. According to exemplary embodiments, the stop 228 is ashank including a ball-shaped portion that has a diameter larger thanthe inner diameter of the hollow fastening member 220 such that once thestop 228 is secured to the end of the pulling cable 104 passed throughthe opening 222 of the hollow fastening member 220 and through theopening of the stop 228, the pulling cable 104 is retained within thehollow fastening member 220. As discussed above, according toembodiments, the hollow fastening member 220 is a threaded insertincluding external threads 224. The outside diameter of the threadedinsert used depends on the diameter of the threaded blind hole 212tapped in the lug portion 210. According to an exemplary embodiment, athreaded insert having an outside diameter of % inch and an insidediameter of ¼ inch may be used.

Once the pulling cable 104 is secured within the hollow fastening member220 by virtue of the stop 228, the hollow fastening member 220 can bescrewed and locked into the threaded blind hole 212 of the lug portion210 to attach the pulling cable 104 to the pulling grip 102, asillustrated in FIG. 2 . Although the pulling cable 104 is locked withinthe threaded blind hole 212 by virtue of being assembled with the hollowfastening member 220 as discussed above and illustrated in FIGS. 3A and3B, the pulling cable 104 is still able to twist axially within theopening 222 of the hollow fastening member 220 as needed in response toforces experienced while being pulled through a conduit, whichalleviates the potential of the conductors 114 on which the pullinggrips 102 are attached from getting jammed within the conduit. Since thehollow fastening member 220 is locked within the threaded blind hole 212of the lug portion 210, any axial twisting of the pulling cable 104 isprevented from unscrewing the hollow fastening member 220 from thethreaded blind hole 212.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and according to embodiments, thehollow fastening member 220 includes slot screw drives 402A, 402B forreceiving a specialized screwdriver that, when rotated, screws thehollow fastening member 220 into the threaded blind hole 212 of the lugportion 210. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 4C and 4D, thehollow fastening member 220 includes slanted slot screw drives 404A,404B for receiving a specialized screwdriver that can be rotatedclockwise to engage the hollow fastening member 220 and screw the sameinto the threaded blind hole 212 of the lug portion 210, but isprevented from engaging the hollow fastening member 220 when rotatedcounterclockwise by virtue of the slant of the slanted slot screw drives404A, 404B to further prevent the hollow fastening member 220 from beingunscrewed from the threaded blind hole 212 by the specializedscrewdriver. According to further embodiments and as illustrated in FIG.4E, the hollow fastening member 220 may include slot drives 406A, 406Bfor receiving a specialized tool that, when rotated, screws the hollowfastening member 220 into the threaded blind hole 212 of the lug portion210. Turning back to FIG. 2 , since the threaded blind hole 212 issealed off from the interior cavity 204 of the elongated body portion202, any moisture or debris that may collect within the threaded blindhole 212 cannot pass through to the interior cavity 204 of the elongatedbody portion 202.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , an alternative illustrative embodiment of thepulling grip assembly 100 is illustrated. According to embodiments, thepulling grip assembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a pulling grip,such as the pulling grip 102, a hollow fastening member 510, and apulling cable, such as the pulling cable 104. The lug portion 210 of thepulling grip 102 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a blind hole 502 thatextends a specified depth through a portion of the lug portion 210without breaking through to the interior cavity 204 of the elongatedbody portion 202 of the pulling grip 102 such that the blind hole 502remains sealed off from the interior cavity 204 of the elongated bodyportion 202 of the pulling grip 102. According to embodiments, a neckportion 504 of the blind hole 502 has a diameter that is smaller thanthe diameter of a body portion 506 of the blind hole 502 to createridges 508 where the neck portion 504 and the body portion 506 connecttogether. According to some embodiments, the ridges 508 engage thehollow fastening member 510 and lock the hollow fastening member 510within the blind hole 502 when the hollow fastening member 510 isinserted within the blind hole 502, as discussed further below. Unlikethe threaded blind hole 212 illustrated in FIG. 2 , the surface of theblind hole 502 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be smooth since the hollowfastening member 510 is locked within the blind hole 502 by the ridges508 of the blind hole 502.

According to some embodiments, the hollow fastening member 510 includesone or more petals or strips 512 that extend radially from the center ofthe hollow fastening member 510 and have a resting diameter when thehollow fastening member 510 is in a resting or original state as isillustrated in FIG. 5 , and that constrict inwardly towards the centerof the hollow fastening member 510 and have one or more constricteddiameters when the petals 512 are placed under pressure when the hollowfastening member 510 is in one or more constricted states, such as whenthe hollow fastening member 510 is inserted within a diameter that issmaller than the resting diameter of the petals 512. According toembodiments, the hollow fastening member 510 is constructed of springsteel or another material with high yield strength that gives the hollowfastening member 510 a spring-like quality and allows the hollowfastening member 510 to deform in response to pressures asserted on thepetals 512 and then return to its original shape when the pressures areremoved. This spring-like quality allows the hollow fastening member 510to be inserted and locked into the blind hole 502.

According to some embodiments, as the hollow fastening member 510 isinserted into the neck portion 504 of the blind hole 502, the petals 512of the hollow fastening member 510 come into contact with the neckportion 504 of the blind hole 502 and are biased inwardly towards thecenter of the hollow fastening member 510 by virtue of the neck portion504 having a smaller diameter than the resting diameter of the petals512 of the hollow fastening member 510. The petals 512 of the hollowfastening member 510 continue to constrict inwardly as the hollowfastening member 510 is pushed further into the blind hole 502 until theconstricted diameter of the petals 512 is compressed to a size that issmaller than the diameter of the neck portion 504 of the blind hole 502,at which time the petals 512 are held in the constricted diameter by theneck portion 504 of the blind hole 502, allowing the hollow fasteningmember 510 to be inserted through the neck portion 504 of the blind hole502. When the petals 512 of the hollow fastening member 510 move passedthe neck portion 504, the petals 512 spring outward from the center ofthe hollow fastening member 510 and back to the resting diameter since,according to embodiments, the body portion 506 of the blind hole 502 hasa diameter that can accommodate the resting diameter of the petals 512of the hollow fastening member 510. Since the resting diameter of thepetals 512 is larger than the diameter of the neck portion 504 of theblind hole 502, the hollow fastening member 510 is maintained within thebody portion 506 of the blind hole 502 by the ridges 508 of the blindhole 502, locking the hollow fastening member 510 within the blind hole502. Alternatively, the hollow fastening member 510 may have a diameterthat is sized to fit within the neck portion 504 of the blind hole 502but may include retractable fins spaced around the diameter that extendoutwardly from the hollow fastening member 510 when the hollow fasteningmember 510 is in a resting or original state and that retract inwardlytowards the center of the hollow fastening member 510 when the hollowfastening member 510 is in a constricted state. For instance, as thehollow fastening member 510 moves through the neck portion 504 of theblind hole 502, the retractable fins may retract inwardly towards thecenter of the hollow fastening member 510, allowing the hollow fasteningmember 510 to be inserted through the neck portion 504. When theretractable fins move passed the neck portion 504 and enter into thebody portion 506 of the blind hole 502, the retractable fins spring backoutwardly from the hollow fastening member 510 and lock the hollowfastening member 510 into the body portion 506 of the blind hole 502 byvirtue of the ridges 508.

Prior to inserting and locking the hollow fastening member 510 into theblind hole 502 of the lug portion 210 of the pulling grip 102, a pullingcable, such as the pulling cable 104 of the pulling grip assembly 100,and the hollow fastening member 510 are assembled together. According toembodiments, the pulling cable 104 is first passed through an opening ofthe hollow fastening member 510. The end of the pulling cable 104 passedthrough the opening of the hollow fastening member 510 is then insertedinto an opening of the stop 228, which is then crimped or otherwisesecured to the end of the pulling cable 104 inserted through the openingof the stop 228.

Once the pulling cable 104 is secured within the hollow fastening member510 by virtue of the stop 228, the hollow fastening member 510 can beinserted and locked into the blind hole 502 of the lug portion 210 toattach the pulling cable 104 to the pulling grip 102, as illustrated inFIG. 5 and discussed above. Although the pulling cable 104 is lockedwithin the blind hole 502 by virtue of being assembled with the hollowfastening member 510 as discussed above, the pulling cable 104 is stillable to twist axially within the opening of the hollow fastening member510 as needed in response to forces experienced while being pulledthrough a conduit, which alleviates the potential of the conductors 114on which the pulling grips 102 are attached from getting jammed withinthe conduit.

Turning now to FIG. 6 , aspects of a method 600 for constructing apulling grip assembly, such as the pulling grip assembly 100, will bedescribed, according to an illustrative embodiment. It should beunderstood that the operations of the methods disclosed herein are notnecessarily presented in any particular order and that performance ofsome or all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possible andis contemplated. The operations have been presented in the demonstratedorder for ease of description and illustration. Operations may be added,omitted, and/or performed simultaneously, without departing from thescope of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein. It also shouldbe understood that the methods disclosed herein can be ended at any timeand need not be performed in its entirety.

The method 600 begins at operation 602, where a blind hole, such as thethreaded blind hole 212 or the blind hole 502, is created in a lugportion, such as the lug portion 210, of a pulling grip, such as thepulling grip 102. As discussed above, the threaded blind hole 212 may becreated using a progressive tap, such as a pipe tap, that cuts internalthreads that progressively get more shallow in depth as they proceeddown a hole as illustrated by the internal threads 214. The threadedblind hole 212 or the blind hole 502 extends a specified depth through aportion of the lug portion 210 without breaking through to an interiorcavity, such as the interior cavity 204, of the elongated body portion202 of the pulling grip 102 such that the threaded blind hole 212 or theblind hole 502 remains sealed off from the interior cavity 204 of theelongated body portion 202 of the pulling grip 102.

From operation 602, the method 600 proceeds to operation 604, where apulling cable, such as the pulling cable 104, and a hollow fasteningmember, such as the hollow fastening member 220 or the hollow fasteningmember 510, are assembled together by first passing the pulling cable104 through an opening of the hollow fastening member 220, 510. Fromoperation 604, the method 600 proceeds to operation 606, where a stop,such as the stop 228, is then attached to the end of the pulling cable104 that was passed through the opening of the hollow fastening member220, 510. According to embodiments, the stop 228 is crimped or otherwisesecured to the end of the pulling cable 104 that was passed through theopening of the hollow fastening member 220, 510. According to exemplaryembodiments, the stop 228 is ball-shaped and has a general dimensionthat is larger than the inner diameter of the hollow fastening member220, 510 such that once the stop 228 is secured to the end of thepulling cable 104 passed through the opening of the hollow fasteningmember 220, 510, the pulling cable 104 is retained within the hollowfastening member 220, 510.

From operation 606, the method 600 proceeds to operation 608, where theassembly of the pulling cable 104 and the hollow fastening member 220,510 is inserted within the blind hole 212, 502 of the lug portion 210 ofthe pulling grip 102. According to embodiments, the hollow fasteningmember 220 can be screwed and locked into the threaded blind hole 212 ofthe lug portion 210 to attach the pulling cable 104 to the pulling grip102, as illustrated in FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the hollow fasteningmember 510 can be pushed into and locked within the blind hole 502 ofthe lug portion 210 to attach the pulling cable 104 of the pulling grip102, as illustrated in FIG. 5 . Whether the pulling cable 104 is lockedwithin the threaded blind hole 212 by virtue of being assembled withinthe hollow fastening member 220 or is locked within the blind hole 502by virtue of being assembled within the hollow fastening member 510, thepulling cable 104 is still able to twist axially within the hollowfastening member 220, 510 as needed in response to forces experiencedwhile being pulled through a conduit, which alleviates the potential ofthe conductors 114 on which the pulling grips 102 are attached fromgetting jammed within the conduit. From operation 608, the method 600may proceed to operation 610, where a conductor, such as the conductor114, or a bare wire or cable of the conductor 114 is inserted within theinterior cavity 204 of the elongated body portion 202 of the pullinggrip 102 of the pulling grip assembly 100 that has been assembled viaoperations 602-608, and the elongated body portion 202 is crimped orotherwise secured onto the bare wire or cable of the conductor 114. Inaddition, from operation 610, the method 600 may proceed to operation612, where the pulling cable 104 of the pulling grip assembly 100 may beattached to a pulling rope, such as the pulling rope 116, in preparationfor pulling the pulling grip assembly 100 with the conductor 114attached through a conduit. From operation 612, the method 600 proceedsto operation 614, where the method 600 ends.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of thepresent invention, which is encompassed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pulling grip assembly comprising: a pullinggrip comprising an elongated body portion, and a lug portion comprisinga blind hole for receiving an assembly, wherein the blind hole comprisesa neck portion and a body portion, and wherein a diameter of the neckportion is smaller than a diameter of the body portion; and the assemblycomprising a hollow fastening member and a pulling cable retained withinthe hollow fastening member, wherein the hollow fastening member has aconstricted diameter when the hollow fastening member is in contact withthe neck portion of the blind hole and has a resting diameter when thehollow fastening member is within the body portion of the blind hole,and wherein the resting diameter of the hollow fastening member isgreater than the diameter of the neck portion of the blind hole to lockthe hollow fastening member within the body portion of the blind hole.2. The pulling grip assembly of claim 1, wherein the hollow fasteningmember comprises a plurality of petals that extend outwardly from acenter of the hollow fastening member when the hollow fastening memberis in a resting state and that constrict inwardly toward the center ofthe hollow fastening member when the hollow fastening member is in oneof a plurality of constricted states, and wherein the hollow fasteningmember has the resting diameter in the resting state and the constricteddiameter in one of the plurality of constricted states.
 3. The pullinggrip assembly of claim 2, wherein the plurality of petals areconstructed of a material with a high yield strength.
 4. The pullinggrip assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of thepulling cable retained within the hollow fastening member.
 5. Thepulling grip assembly of claim 4, wherein at least the portion of thepulling cable is retained within the hollow fastening member by a stopthat is secured to an end of at least the portion of the pulling cableonce the end of at least the portion of the pulling cable has passedthrough and is out of the opening defined by the hollow fasteningmember.
 6. The pulling grip assembly of claim 5, wherein the stopcomprises a shank including a ball-shaped portion that has a diameterlarger than a diameter of the opening defined by the hollow fasteningmember.
 7. The pulling grip assembly of claim 4, wherein the pullingcable is able to twist axially when at least the portion of the pullingcable is retained within the opening of the hollow fastening member. 8.A method comprising: retaining a pulling cable within a hollow fasteningmember to form an assembly of the pulling cable and the hollow fasteningmember; and locking the assembly of the pulling cable and the hollowfastening member within a blind hole of a lug portion of a pulling grip,wherein the blind hole comprises a neck portion and a body portion,wherein a diameter of the neck portion is smaller than a diameter of thebody portion, wherein the hollow fastening member has a constricteddiameter when the hollow fastening member is in contact with the neckportion of the blind hole and has a resting diameter when the hollowfastening member is within the body portion of the blind hole, andwherein the resting diameter of the hollow fastening member is greaterthan the diameter of the neck portion of the blind hole to lock thehollow fastening member within the body portion of the blind hole. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein retaining the pulling cable within thehollow fastening member to form the assembly of the pulling cable andthe hollow fastening member comprises passing an end of the pullingcable through an opening defined by the hollow fastening member.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein retaining the pulling cable within the hollowfastening member to form the assembly of the pulling cable and thehollow fastening member further comprises attaching a stop to the end ofthe pulling cable passed through the opening defined by the hollowfastening member.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising creatingthe blind hole in the lug portion of the pulling grip.
 12. The method ofclaim 8, wherein locking the assembly of the pulling cable and thehollow fastening member within the blind hole of the lug portion of thepulling grip comprises pushing the assembly into the blind hole at leastuntil the hollow fastening member moves back to the resting diameter tolock the assembly within the blind hole.